HOLLY SPRINGS — The Holly Springs City Council voted against instituting a charge for false alarm calls during a Thursday Council meeting.

Council members Jeremy Smith, Kyle Whitaker and Michael Zenchuk voted against the proposed ordinance. Council members Dee Phillips and Karen Barnett voted in favor.

At the council’s Jan. 7 work session, Holly Springs Police Chief Ken Ball asked council members to consider an ordinance allowing the city to charge homeowners and business owners if police are called to multiple false alarms.

Whitaker said he voted against the ordinance because he didn’t want to impose a fine for the alarms.

“It’s my hope we’ll be better able to handle it through better education and communication. I was concerned about the registration process and the fines,” he said. Under the ordinance, alarm users would have needed to register their alarms with the city.

Whitaker said he would be willing to revisit the issue in the future if false alarms become an excessive burden for police staff.

During the Jan. 7 work session, Ball said the number of false alarm calls had increased alongside population growth in the city, but the number of calls has not been overwhelming.

In a 3-2 vote, the City Council approved a new ordinance requiring a free permit to hold a garage sale inside the city. Smith and Zenchuk cast dissenting votes.

City Manager Rob Logan said city staff had received complaints about extended and repeated garage sales in the city.

The ordinance will allow four yard sales per year for each lot in the city and requires a minimum of six weeks between sales.

Under the ordinance, yard sales can last no longer than three consecutive days and must be held between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.

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